Introduction to Resilience
An artist is turning trees felled by Hurricane Helene into bowls that both commemorate the tragedy and honor the resilience of people affected by the historic storm. For Aaron Harris, a retired teacher and a third-generation woodturner at Turning for Home, the impacts of Helene were personal when it wreaked havoc in September 2024. The storm downed trees, destroyed homes, and knocked out the power for over a week in his town of Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Personal Loss and Inspiration
More tragically, a dear friend of Harris was among the 250 people who died in the terrible storm. "One of my teachers that I taught with was like a daughter to me," Harris said. "Anna Maria Fletcher was killed by a tree that fell on her bedroom." This immense loss helped inspire Harris to turn his art of woodturning – the craft of using a lathe to carve an object out of a piece of wood – into something that could help heal his heart. "Sometimes beauty comes from pain," he said. "One of the ways I process stuff like that is working at my lathe and trying to create beauty out of destruction and pain."
The Art of Woodturning
That beauty came in the form of "storm bowls" – handcrafted wooden bowls carved out of trees brought down by Helene. Most of the storm bowls are carved from pieces of black walnut. Wood from this tree is one of the rarest and most coveted of native hardwood trees, according to the USDA. The storm bowls Harris carves showcase the unique lines and colors of every piece of wood from which they come.
A Symbol of Strength
Aside from the organic beauty of the wooden bowls, Harris said what also speaks to people who see the pieces is the story behind them – strength in the face of tragedy. "Mountain people are resilient. We survive because we have to," Harris said. "(Helene) taught us that, in tragedy, we can find something in ourselves that maybe we didn’t know was there and make something beautiful out of it." The storm bowls serve as a testament to the human spirit’s ability to find hope and create something meaningful from destruction.
Conclusion
The story of Aaron Harris and his storm bowls is a heartwarming reminder of the power of resilience and creativity in the face of adversity. By turning the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene into something beautiful, Harris has not only honored the memory of those affected but has also inspired others to find strength in their own struggles. To learn more about storm bowls and to see more pieces carved by Harris, one can check out his online gallery on Instagram, and find more updates on this story at FOXWeather.com.
